Mr. Prof designer home

I did an inventory the other weekend and discovered that I have a lot of ground beef in my freezer. I'm always looking for new ground beef recipes, so I figured this was a great time to branch out. My friend Elly had linked to these Soutzoukakia in a recent post, and they sounded so simple and delicious I put them on the menu.


These were a big hit with the whole family. Baby Girl usually eats a day behind us (although we're trying to change that, depending on when SP gets home from work), but she asked for a taste of mine and ended up inhaling two meatballs from my plate. I saved two meatballs for her for next night's dinner and again she inhaled them and asked for more. This is a big deal because she's been off meatballs for awhile now. I really enjoyed the flavors in the meatballs and loved the tomato sauce over the mashed potatoes. Delicious and easy. Thanks for helping me branch out, Elly!

Soutzoukakia
Elly Says Opa!

1 medium onion, divided
1 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, pressed
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-2 tablespoons bread crumbs (optional)
Olive oil
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can water
2 bay leaves
1/2 – 1 teaspoon cumin (start with 1/2 and taste-test)
1 pinch sugar
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Finely mince or grate half of the onion into a large bowl. Mix in the beef, salt and pepper, oregano, garlic, parsley, egg, and breadcrumbs (if using). Form the mixture into elongated/oval-shaped meatballs. (I got 14 meatballs).

Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium Dutch oven or pot over medium-high. Pan-fry the meatballs, in batches, until they are browned on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the pot and drain the oil.

Put the pot back over the heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Dice the other half of the onion, and add it to the pot; cook until translucent. Add the tomato sauce, water, bay leaves, cumin, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a low boil and add the meatballs. Simmer for at least 15 minutes, but longer is fine too. Add the corn starch slurry at the end. Remove the bay leaves and serve over mashed potatoes.

I love easy meals and Cook's County seems to have plenty of those in their magazine. Not a lot of ingredients, but excellent flavor and easy prep are key for me these days. This meal didn't disappoint.





This is actually the second time I made this dish, but the first time I cooked it and then left it covered on the stove until I'd put Baby Girl to bed. Not a good idea, as the noodles absorbed all the sauce and the dish was rather dry. This time I made it and we ate immediately. And look - it's a one-skillet meal. Score!







Skillet Meatballs and Noodles in Creamy Herb Sauce

Cook's Country



1 pound ground beef (85% or so)

1 package garlic and herb Boursin cheese

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped fine

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

8 ounces egg noodles

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives



Combine beef, 5 tablespoons Boursin cheese, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and knead gently until combined. Form mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook meatballs until well browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.



Cook onion in reserved fat until browned, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add broth, noodles, and wine and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to med-low, and cook, stirring often, until pasta begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add meatballs and simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through and noodles are al dente, about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in remaining Boursin cheese and chives. Season with salt and pepper.

I really enjoy making Swedish Meatballs because it's easy and always tasty.


I served the meatballs with egg noodles and mixed veggies for a quick weeknight dinner.

SP made sauce on a recent Sunday, but we didn't feel like making homemade meatballs. Our storebrand frozen meatballs actually have ingredients you can pronounce, so I bought a few bags. We ate the leftover sauce and meatballs as sandwiches:


I toasted the hoagie rolls before laying down some shredded Mexican cheese (we had a little to use up), sauce and meatballs. On top of the meatballs I put provolone, American and mozzarella cheeses:


... before baking them to melt the cheese. These tasted exactly like the sandwich I order from our favorite pizza place.